CABA Information Series

(IS-2013-67) Green Building and Sustainable Development in the Commercial Real Estate Industry

This report from BEPA examines the commercial real estate industry that is becoming increasingly aware of how building energy efficiency trends can impact the value of property. Sub-par building energy performance is already being viewed by some as a deficiency associated with the property. A key to making energy efficiency investment is the ability to project energy savings with a high degree of confidence, and then after the investment is made, verify performance in a technically supportable, consistent and transparent manner. To accomplish this, many energy service companies (ESCOs) rely on the guidance provided in the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) document.(4) The recently published ASTM E 2797-11, Building Energy Performance Assessment (BEPA) Standard,(5) provides a prescriptive data collection and analysis methodology that readily supports the guidance provided in the IPMVP as it pertains to commercial, public and institutional (C/P/I) buildings.